If Wattle Tree Place were a reality show it would be called “The Anna and Sophie Show.” Sisters Anna Phillips and Sophie Wegecsanyi have breathed life into this house on 16th and C streets with their passion, positive energy, and their ability to entertain and uplift every person who walks through the door. They say that they are simply bringing a bit of Australian hospitality (they are from Melbourne) to Vancouver.
I visited the cafe on a Thursday afternoon. The smell of cake baking in the oven filled the room along with the sounds of laughter and lively conversation. A woman in front of me in line was from Lithuania and the sisters entertained everyone waiting with a story of Sophie once getting pulled over for speeding at 2 a.m. in Lithuania and how they talked their way out of a ticket.
It was a bright sunny day. After ordering my food, I headed out back to the garden/play area. Abandoned sippy cups and well-stocked diaper bags were scattered along the picnic tables. A group of mothers were chatting in a circle behind me. One of the moms told me that the group met in swim class but preferred meeting at Wattle Tree Place because it’s “not so safe to have a conversation at the pool, someone might drown.” The kids safely played nearby in the fenced-in sandbox and fairy garden while the moms enjoyed adult conversation.
I settled into a sunny spot and feasted on bruschetta, a personal cheese pizza, and a lamington. The bruschetta was overflowing with fresh diced tomatoes tossed with olive oil, garlic, red onion, fresh basil and salt and served on toasted artisan bread. My personal pizza was made by Anna using her father’s recipe. The sauce, like the bruschetta, is made with tomatoes and herbs fresh from the sisters’ home gardens. The pizza crust was light and flaky, expertly layered with fresh tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese.
